aetiologicetiologicadj.

1656 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. iii. i. 98 Physick is divided into these places; Of Bodies, Of Principles, Of Elements,..Of Vacuum: thus especially; but generally into three places; Of the world, Of Elements, Aitiologick of Causes.

1672 T. Gale Anat. Infidelitie ii. i. 77 Some understand the first Particle, ὅτι, as Aitiologic, or Causal.

1691 W. Yworth New Art of making Wines 111 Pathologica is that which describes, and wherein is consider'd the general Method of Indications of Diseases; Diagnostick, Ætiologick, and Prognostick.

1742 tr. H. Boerhaave Acad. Lect. Theory Physic I. 77 This Branch is distinguished into (1.) Diagnostic Pathology, so far as it describes the Diseases of the Body; (2.) Ætiologic, when it treats of their Causes; (3.) Diacritic..; and lastly, (4.) the Symptomatologic.

1835 London Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 7 712/1 Formerly all articular phlegmasiæ were confounded in the name of podagra. Then came the great distinction, grounded on the etiologic condition of cold, which, while it was admitted for arthritis, was disallowed, or neglected for gout.

1894 H. Chatelain Folk-tales Angola 281 The conclusion of this story brings this tale into the class of those which try to give the origin or the cause of certain habits or natural phenomena, and which may be called the ætiologic class.

1932 L. Van Es Princ. Animal Hygiene xvii. 368 The etiologic factor of paratuberculosis is a small, short, acid-fast, and alcohol-fast bacillus.

1969 Rev. Metaphysics 23 241 By this double metonymy the distance between cause and effect in an ordinary chain of events is increased... What this aetiologic distancing means is not clear from the expression taken out of context.

2002 Jrnl. Pediatric Psychol. 27 50/2 Two possible etiologic factors have to be considered: the shock of the diagnosis (acute stressor) and traumatic aspects of medical treatment (chronic stressors).